State won't budge on absentee-voter mailing in Michigan's 20th District Senate race

COMSTOCK — State Senate candidate Bobby Hopewell Friday urged the state’s Bureau of Elections to allow city and township clerks in the 20th District to send a letter to absentee voters informing them how they can vote again, in light of Robert B. Jones’ recent death.

Kalamazoo County election officials on Tuesday said that absentee voters, whether they turned in their ballots or not, may request a replacement ballot because state law prevents counting votes for a deceased candidate.

However, the state’s Bureau of Elections is barring mailing a letter to voters about the revote option, concerned it could be construed as favoring a particular candidate.

“We took the position that the job of the election official is to make the ballots available and to work with media to make sure the details surrounding the vacancy are out there,” said Ken Silfven, Michigan state department spokesman.

An estimated 8,000 of the 16,000 absentee ballots that were issued in the race before Jones’ death last Sunday have been returned to date, according to a Gazette survey of all clerks in the district.

Only those votes cast for Jones in the 20th District are invalid. But anyone who already has voted by absentee ballot and wants to revote may request a new ballot, in writing, from his local clerk’s office.

Some clerks, including in Comstock and Oshtemo townships, wanted to send a notice to voters who received an absentee ballot of this option but were directed not to do so.“We saw it as a service to provide the information,” said Deb Everett, Oshtemo Township clerk.

Silfven, the state spokesman, said that though Michigan election law doesn’t speak to whether or not such a notice may be sent to voters, it’s in the Bureau of Elections purview to give guidance on how to proceed in this situation.

“It’s the party’s job to raise awareness of its candidate,” he added.Hopewell, upset to learn the clerks wouldn’t be allowed to send the notice, called a press conference Friday to air his concerns.

“I believe notices outlining options to revote should be mailed to absentee voters who want their vote to count in this election and new ballots to those who request them,” Hopewell said at the press conference he held outside the Comstock Township offices.

On Tuesday, Hopewell was nominated by local Democratic Party leaders to replace Jones’ on the ballot.

He’s called for his Republican rival in race, Tonya Schuitmaker, to also urge state election officials to allow clerks to send a letter to absentee ballot voters detailing revote options and providing a ballot replacement request form.

“I believe these ... steps are essential to protect the integrity of the election and prevent an under vote,” Hopewell said.

But Silfven said “depending on how (a letter from clerks is) worded, it could be viewed by not only political factions like the other party, but by voters who get it as emphasizing one candidate over another.”

Schuitmaker said it’s up to the state to direct local election officials.

“Bobby wants me to tell the Secretary of State how to interpret election law. I believe the election should be run by the experts, not the candidates,” Schuitmaker said.

She acknowledged that voters may have questions and said she plans to provide contact information for all the clerks in the 20th District on her campaign website.